Surface-mountable semiconductor modules are also called SMD devices (“surface mounted devices”) and are usually arranged in a housing made of plastic. The arrangement comprising semiconductor component and housing is mounted by a mounting side of the housing on surfaces such as e.g. a side of a printed circuit board.
Such a semiconductor module may have an optoelectronic transmitting and/or receiving unit via which light signals can be received and/or transmitted. Since the wavelength of the light signals is dependent on the temperature of the transmitting and/or receiving unit, it is known to provide a cooler for temperature stabilization of the transmitting and/or receiving unit. Such a cooler is connected to the semiconductor module and compensates for temperature fluctuations on account of heating of electrical or optoelectronic components of the semiconductor module and also external temperature fluctuations.
Since the transmitting and/or receiving unit is intended to be connected to a further optical element in at least one light radiating direction, the SMD device is intended to be mounted by the mounting side of its housing onto a printed circuit board and, moreover, the cooler is intended to be positioned, there is the problem of how surface-mountable transmitting and/or receiving units can be expediently cooled.
One possible arrangement is disclosed in DE 102 38 843. In this case, a cooling element is arranged between the printed circuit board and the semiconductor module and cools the semiconductor module on the mounting side of the housing. In the case of this sandwich design, the optoelectronic transmitting and/or receiving unit of the surface-mountable semiconductor module is arranged such that its optically active area points in the direction that points away from the cooling element and the printed circuit board. The construction thus comprises, from bottom to top, printed circuit board, cooling element and upwardly oriented transmitting and/or receiving unit.
There is a need for optoelectronic arrangements having a surface-mountable semiconductor module and a cooling element which are formed alternatively to arrangements known heretofore, the intention being in particular to provide an efficient cooling of the transmitting and/or receiving unit.